Mount Duergar
Upon entry, we're introduced to Mount Duergar. I talk to the nearest inhabitant and I'm greeted with an excited "Lali-ho!" and a quick pirouette for good measure before getting back on with their day. What they lack in exposition they more than make up for in cheery demeanour.
Speaking to another similarly-attired dwarf though, it's asked whether I've 'gabbed' with their smith, Smyth, who is in the smithy. 10/10, no notes. To quote Garth Marenghi, I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.
Another member points out that with a crystal eye, even the blind can see, again affirming my belief that this is dropping some hints for that questline which we might not have solved yet. In fact, he flat out tells us Astos stole it.
Another less cheery member tells us that apparently the earth has started to rot, which doesn't bode well. Apparently it started in the west and the decay spreads. Where did we say we planned to go today? Oh dear.
I head to visit Smyth the smith in the smithy. He seems busy at work, but lets us know that he wishes he could have some of the legendary metal adamantite - with it he'd be able to craft "such a magical sword". I'm hoping that if we hook him up he's all about the love of crafting. That's all he has to say for now though, I guess we know what we need to bring him.
Further to the south of the entrance, apparently Nerrick is smashing rocks in the back of the cave. I find Nerrick in the cave system to the south of the main 'town', and he intuits immediately that we have Nitro Powder. Nice to meet you too.
He tells us that the explosive force in the powder will have his canal open in no time flat, and apparently he owes us. Yeah, we definitely did these a little bit backwards. He immediately just relieves us of it and wanders off to blow up a section of the cave. We all run far away as we cut to the world map, where it looks like we may have just blasted open a strait into the Aldean Sea. The fanfare would concur.
I'm guessing that was our plan here in the immediate term, so basically that was short and sweet. Maybe he'd have given us that thread that there's Nitro Powder in Cornelia, but it's locked by the Mystic Key that the sleepy elven Prince has - get to it! With that though, Nerrick just wanders off.
There is a room with a load of chests in it though, time to get looting! From left to right:
- A tent
- A Great Helm
- A Wyrmkiller
- An Ether
- A Potion
- A Mythril Mail
- 575 gil
- A Cottage
Not a bad day at the office. I don't know if that room was locked previously, it seemed it was where Nerrick ran off to after blowing a hole in a sea wall, but either way, Kaili's getting that Wyrmkiller to get them up to an equal 28 attack with Rukus.
Rukus takes the Great Helm, as he's the only one in our party that can wear it, and interestingly the Mythril Mail doesn't quite have the defence of Rukus's Iron Armour. It's got a bit more evasion, but I think at this point, we're building him to just be a bit tank-y.
I try to find Nerrick, but it seems he's disappeared, but in my hunt I find a room in the north east of the town with a couple more chests:
- 450 gil
- 575 gil
This feels a little bit like just robbing people, but the die is cast now.